Shloka 31
अन्येष्वपि च युद्धेषु नैव सेनाद्रवत् तदा । कच्चित् क्षेमं महाबाहो तव सैन्यस्थ भारत,“अन्य संग्रामोंमें भी आपकी सेना इस प्रकार नहीं भागी थी। महाबाहु भरतनन्दन! आपकी सेना सकुशल तो है न?
anyeṣv api ca yuddheṣu naiva senā adravat tadā | kaccit kṣemaṃ mahābāho tava sainyastha bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: “Even in other battles your army never fled like this then. O mighty-armed scion of Bharata, is your force—those stationed in your ranks—safe and intact?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: a ruler’s foremost concern is the safety and cohesion of his forces. Sanjaya’s “kaccit kṣemam” frames military collapse not merely as tactical loss but as a crisis of morale and responsibility.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava army has fled in a way unprecedented in earlier battles, and he anxiously asks whether the king’s troops are still safe and holding their positions.